Demeter's Kernel
by Tantz
Summary: Sydney and Nigel go after Demeter's Kernel, a relic (fictional, btw) central to the mysterious Greek Euleusenian Mysteries...
1. Default Chapter

Whatever possessed me to write this... hm. Perhaps 'cause I find Indy highly misogynistic as of late? Nah. It's prolly because I like Nigel's name. Oy. It's been some time since I've done any archaeology fics. Enjoy. 

btw, I do NOT own Sydney, and wouldn't like to. As for Nigel, I got my own, this one is just borrowed. Now as I said, enjoy. 

____________________________ 

"Pack up Nigel, we're leaving." 

At the soud of Sydney's voice, Nigel felt like banging his head against the desk he had just sat to read and sip his first cup of coffee for the day. 

"I don't -need- to pack up, Syd. In order to pack up, I would have to UN-pack first, and I haven't even had the -time- to do that." he glared over his glasses and curled his fingers around the coffee mug. Infuriatingly, it appeared that Sydney knew him well enough, and instead of taking any kind of offence, she just threw him a pair of tickets. 

He stared at the infernal oblong paper before deciding to look where he'd risk dying this time, all the while making such a fool of himself that being a movie side kick for comic reliefs was all he could think of his purpose of existence in the world. He arched an eyebrow. 

"What are we doing in Greece, Syd?" 

"Two words: Eulesinian Mysteries." 

"You mean the occult secretive sect thingy that the Ancient Greeks had and that nobody actually knew anything about except the members? You know Syd, the one that is known to leave as many relics behind as bloody Socrates? Which means, absolutely NONE?" 

Sydney watched him with a small amused smirk that was always effective in sending chills down Nigel's spine. That look always meant shady contacts and untrustworthy help. 

"Yep. It appears that there IS a relic that is directly linked to them." 

"What is it and where did it surface out of the ages?" 

"I don't know, and in Athens." 

"And what makes you certain that we are not flying over there in mid-winter over a wild goose chase, and why can't it wait until it's summer and we can at least go to the sea or something?" Nigel tried hard to keep brooding. 

She smiled the grin number 2: The got-you-now grin. 

"Because my friend Dr. Panagelou in Athen's university gave me the tip and asked for my help, and guess what: he mentioned Demeter's Kernel." 

Nigel's jaw dropped, and he forgot about his brooding and his coffee. As a matter of fact he'd have forgotten his head too if it wasn't attached to it. 

**_Later next day..._**

Nigel adjusted his shades peering around. It was amazing. It was supposed to be middle of November, and the heaviest article of clothing he could see was a light jacket. What was the weather in this country thinking? Sydney looked refreshed even though she had not slept the previous night. Nigel wondered how she managed. She was everything a guy hero should be: good at martial arts, sweet-talking, good at bargaining and a killer with the opposite sex. What did that make him? The squeaky not-so-popular side kick that usually was also female, and tended to shriek a lot. That was not entirely helpful to his ego. Sure, he could read scrolls of almost every dead language existing, but that just added to his 'Ways to Know you are a Geek Sidekick' list. He sighed. That kind of whine would only be yet another entry in the aforementioned list if he ever voiced it. So instead he said 

"Where to now, Syd?" 

"Dr. Panagelou is waiting for us in his office at the acropolis museum. He says he has a parchment to lead to the Kernel." 

Nigel nodded and hefted the backpack, then looked warily at the yellow cab Sydney hailed. Nigel never had an older sister, but somehow he felt he had acquired one when he agreed to be his boss' assistant. Not that it was bad or in any way boring. Just somewhat belittling at times. Like when he had to watch when she beat the shit out of anyone that could wipe the floor with him for laughs. But then she'd never mentioned that. And she always seemed to need him around. That was also somewhat comforting. 

The cab pulled up to the Sacred Rock, after about 45 minutes of frustrating commuting. He spared a moment, as he and Sydney walked up to the Acropolis, to see the Caryatids, the pillars in the shape of women. 

"Hi girls", he murmured. It was not the first time he saw them up close. 

Dr. Pangelou was a round, slightly blading man in his early 60s, that rushed to greet Sydney -certainly not him- as soon as they made their presence known. He all but pulled her to his office like a child wanting to show her his room. 

"I am so glad you could make it, Dr Fox, Nigel." he said excitedly. Nigel was greatful he didn't peck his cheek. The man made sure the door was locked and the shutters closed before he reached into his drawer and pulled what seemed to be a fragile looking roll of paper. "Look, my friends. Have you ever seen anything so splendid?" 

Nigel heard Sydney's breath catch in her chest, and he felt his own interest rise to the zenith. Although he could definately not tag a moth-eaten scroll splendid, the mythical Kernel was alluring enough to make him touch eons of dust and filth. All three gently unrolled the ancient parchment and Nigel started reading. 

His brow clouded. He did not like what he saw. 

___________ 

eh. A start. I am Greek by the way. So locations and impressions are authentic. More to come if I am encouraged or Nigel overdosed. 


	2. For starters

More Nigel! I kinda get hooked in anything unfinished. 

____________ 

_Doom to the eyes of the unworthy,_

_Life to the touch of the one that can give_

_The Kernel can give what Nature denies_

_But Power is not something you can extort._

__

__"Pretty poem. I take it we should learn it by heart just in case, right, Syd?" Nigel sighed after completing the translation of all the passage. The poem was located at its end, with no relevance to the rest of the text. Sydney looked at him. 

"Don't tell me you are not impressed, Nigel! The Kernel that the worshippers were supposed to use to pour life into statues of the goddess Demeter. It is supposed to have a huge amout of energy stored!: she said incredulously. 

"There are a million uses possible for such a thing, and not all of them benevolent." the greek museum curator added, glancing at the door fearfully. Sydney's brow furroed at the man's reaction and she didn't quite hear Nigel's reply. 

"You know Syd, I am quite impressed with the Kernel, I've always been, what with all the mystery, nobody has seen it or nothing more than faint rumours existing for it, but what does not impress me is the way there. That is usually the hard part and..." he paused. "...you are not listening to a single word I say, are you?" 

"What do you mean, Kostas?" Sydney asked the man. He fidgeted and did not meet her eyes. Nigel pulled off his glasses, holding the base of his nose. He was not the least bit surprised, and the Balkans had never been a place where people peacefully resolved their differences. It usually involved guns and severe violence. Things that Nigel was inherently allergic to. 

The greek curator straightened up, taking a decision. 

"Unfortunately, Dr Fox you are not the first one to know of this parchment, or the fact that the Kernel is not a myth. It was not my choice, or as a matter of fact anyone's here in Athens or Euleusina, where it was unearthed. 

"Okay, who is it?" Sydney asked, and Nigel meekly listened as he folded the translation paper and put it in his backpocket instead of the backpack. He did it consciously, feeling that an extra precaution wouldn't hurt. He rarely had feelings like that, but when he did, he never disobeyed. He resented to call it gut feeling. It sounded like a synonym to woman's intuition. 

"It is a German scholar that has been doing a sabbatical here. He overheard my assistant's reports and pressed me hard with a crazy sum of money to give him everything I had. But I do not sell out greek curlture or heritage, at least not on my own accord, so I refused, and he departed, but threatened I'd hear from him again. My office was trashed the yesterday. Then I thought of you and your reputation of being honourable, and I called you. 

"This is not your office?" 

"Oh no. This is my cousin's office, who works in modern greek history projects. But he held the parchment for me after I had that first meeting with the german." 

"What is the guy's name?" Nigel asked, knowing he'd probably get the equivalent for 'Smith'. 

"He calls himself Hans Luben, and is supposed to be an ancient studies professor in some obscure college or university somewhere in Germany." 

"We'll keep you informed then, Kostas. But you have to promice me that if I recover the relic and leave it to you, you arrange for a transfer exhibition at my university asap." Sydney said and smiled. The curator smiled as well and nodded. 

"On my honour, Sydney." he said and unlocked the door. 

Only to be thrown back by a strong hook to the jaw that sent the man sprawling on the floor. Nigel gasped and sat up from his chair reflexively, and grabbed his backpack. Predictably, Sydney rushed into battle with the attacker, a towering well built man with a ski mask. The man was nimble and well trained in some kind of martial art, and although Sydney didn't let him advance into the room, she couldn't overpower him as quickly as she did regular muggers. 

"Security! Help!" Nigel shouted as he grabbed the stunned curator from the armpits and pulled him away from where his boss and the ski mask were fighting. The moment the words had been spoken, it seemed that new energy gave the man the leverage to trip Sydney, thus allowing him passage towards Nigel's backpack and the folder in which the original parchment was. 

"No!" Nigel said and tried to get in his way. His efforts were rewarded by a rough shove against a bookcase that sent a shower of books over his head. By the time he stopped seeing stars, the man was gone, and Sydney was pulling him upwards while the greek curator was aided by a couple of security people. 

"Nigel, are you alright?" 

"I'm fine, Sydney. Really, it was just a shove." Nigel got up grudgingly and dusted himself off from imaginary dust. If he had been half as competent in close combat as Sydney, he woud probably have stalled the man enough to have him caught by the security. He glanced over at the curator. 

"Are you okay, dr. Panagelou?" he prounounced the name awkwardly. The man was paper white and breathing hard, but otherwise seemed to be fine. He looked up, holding an ice pack to his jaw and nodded. 

"Did he take anything?" 

"My backpack and the original parchment, I'm afraid." Nigel sighed and he heard Sydney kick something behind him. 

"Oh my God. I didn't expect they would be so sharp." 

"Relic hunters usually are, Kostas..." Sydney muttered, fishing her jacket from the mess on the floor. Nigel knew that voice and body language. She was already moving on to the next stage of solving the problem, and she was pissed. Ironically, he felt safe with Sydney pissed. It usually meant that next time she met up with whoever -had- pissed her off, she'd kick the daylights out of him. 

"Goodness, Kostas. Whatever happened here?" a tall man asked, just entering the room, and then proceeded to speak in rapid greek. He was brown haired and nimble and looked like a younger and thinner version of the greek curator. The curator replied in the same language, then tended a hand towards Sydney. 

"Let me introduce my cousin, Giannis, to whom this office belongs. Giannis, this is Sydney Fox and her assitant Nigel...eh..." 

"Bailey." Nigel provided his surname dryly. The man nodded to both of them and approached Sydney with more than camaraderie or professional concern. He shook her hand with both of his and flashed her a wide smile. 

"I am very pleased to meet such a lovely...scholar." he said in a slightly drawling, accented voice. "I am sorry you had to witness such events in our museum. I assure you this is quite out of the normal." , he added still holding Sydney's hand. She smiled guardedly and trying to detach her hand, replied, 

"Don't think about it, mr.--" 

"Dr. Dr. Teliou." he offered. 

Sydney finally managed to pull her hand from his grip. 

"Dr. Teliou, as I was saying, don't worry about it. It is unusual for you but quite usual for us." 

The curator said something in Greek, and the younger man's eyebrows shot up. 

"You are aiding my cousin with the Kernel. Good luck to you. If there is anything I can do to help you, please do not hesitate to ask. As a matter of fact-" he said before Sydney could refuse, "-I got just the man to help you, as I fear you'll be going into some of the tricky parts of our otherwise lovely mountains and general areas in Euleusina. 

Nigel knew that trouble had only just started, and it would be worse than Claudia on a bad hair day. 

__________________ 

There you go. To those requesting action-- ask and ye shall receive, they say. 


End file.
